Gas bags are to be inflated very quickly and subsequently, when the occupant plunges into them, are also to have a certain resilience. These two characteristics actually contradict each other. Therefore, valve-like outflow openings on the gas bag wall are proposed which allow gas to escape when a predetermined pressure has been reached.
The invention provides a gas bag protection device comprising a gas bag in which the controlling of the internal pressure of the gas bag takes place dependent on load, in so far as firstly only a small relief of the gas bag internal pressure takes place, to subsequently adapt the internal pressure in a controlled manner with increasing depth of plunging of the occupant into the gas bag, and finally even permit an escape of the gas after a specified pressure.